Strategies for Reducing Financial Stress | AllBusiness.com

March 14, 2025March 13, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If there’s one lesson that Covid-19 has taught us, it’s that unexpected disasters can and do happen. And for the more than 25% of Americans who currently live paycheck to paycheck, an unexpected job loss, drop in income, or large medical bill can be enough to send your finances over the edge and cause an enormous amount of financial stress on you and your family.

Fortunately, there are several things you can do to regain control of your finances and reduce the stress caused by a plunging bank balance. Find the road back to financial freedom with these reliable financial disaster management tips.

How Tariffs Affect Small Businesses—Plus Tips on Navigating Them | AllBusiness.com

March 14, 2025March 13, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

In early March, Goldman Sachs downgraded its prior economic forecast for gross domestic product (GDP) growth for 2025 from 2.4% to 1.7%. According to Jan Hatzius, Goldman’s chief economist, “The reason for the downgrade is that our trade policy assumptions have become considerably more adverse.”

CNBC reports, “Goldman is warning that tariffs could raise consumer prices and tighten financial conditions, while leading companies to delay investments.”

David Kelly, the chief global strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management wrote, “The trouble with tariffs, to be succinct, is that they raise prices, slow economic growth, cut profits, increase unemployment, worsen inequality, diminish productivity and increase global tensions. Other than that, they’re fine.”

Zoho Unveils Projects Plus, a Unified AI-Driven Project Management Platform | Small Biz Trends

March 13, 2025March 13, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Zoho Corporation has launched Projects Plus, a new AI-powered project management platform designed to enhance efficiency and collaboration for mid-sized and enterprise organizations. The platform integrates four key Zoho applications—Projects, WorkDrive, Analytics, and Sprints—allowing businesses to leverage data-driven insights, streamline workflows, and facilitate collaboration in real-time.

The introduction of Projects Plus follows a year of substantial growth for Zoho Projects, which saw a 20% year-over-year revenue increase in 2024. Additionally, the company reported a threefold rise in user migration from third-party project management tools, with 55% of new users transitioning from Microsoft Projects and JIRA.

Intuit QuickBooks Introduces Tap to Pay on iPhone for Seamless Contactless Payments | Small Biz Trends

March 13, 2025March 12, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Intuit has announced the launch of Tap to Pay on iPhone for QuickBooks Online customers in the U.S., providing small and mid-market businesses with a streamlined way to accept in-person contactless payments using only an iPhone. The new functionality enables QuickBooks users to manage their business finances more efficiently while improving cash flow and payment processing.

“With Tap to Pay on iPhone, we’re giving customers a competitive advantage that accelerates cash flow, business growth, and customer loyalty,” David Hahn, SVP, QuickBooks Money Platform says. “What makes Tap to Pay on iPhone unique for QuickBooks customers, is that it allows them to streamline their in-person payments and seamlessly connect them to their books and our end-to-end services, putting their full business finances all in one place. This new feature, coupled with our AI-powered platform and ‘done-for-you’ experiences, empowers small businesses to reach new levels of growth and success.”

Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4, 2025) review: the best small laptop ever | Digital Trends

March 12, 2025March 11, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

In our previous reviews of the Apple MacBook Air, we’ve rated it as the best 13-inch laptop but stopped short of giving it a perfect score. With the advent of Apple’s M4 chipset, which isn’t a sea change over the M3 but is nevertheless significantly stronger, I don’t see any reason to hold back.

We can dispute if a laptop with a 13.6-inch display is officially in the 13-inch category or better belongs to the 14-inch laptop segment. But who really cares? The MacBook Air 13 is incredibly thin, light enough to be highly portable, very fast, and oh-so-efficient. It’s a remarkable accomplishment in terms of making hardware that’s sheer genius, and it doesn’t hurt that the entry level price of $1,000 now applies to the current chipset and includes a more reasonable 16GB of RAM.

Samsung promises not to remove S Pen from future Galaxy S Ultras | Digital Trends

March 12, 2025March 11, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The S Pen has become the top-tier accessory for people who like to draw and take notes on their phone, especially on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. However, the future of the stylus has become a topic of debate lately, as it wasn’t included in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition package. Fortunately, the company promised not to leave out the S Pen from future Galaxy S Ultra models.

Annika Bizon, VP of Product and Marketing at Samsung’s Mobile Experience in the UK, recently told TechRadar at MWC 2025 that Samsung Galaxy users don’t need to worry about whether or not the S Pen will be included in future models. The stylus was left out of Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event showcasing the Galaxy S25 series back in January, but just because it was absent from recent marketing campaigns for the latest model doesn’t mean it won’t be a part of the upcoming Galaxy S Ultra phones.

“Multimodality is really important to us,” Bizon said. “So [that’s] how people use their phone – whether they’re speaking, whether they’re writing, whether they’re in a meeting. People do use their S Pens in meetings to write notes. So, I don’t see a space where the S Pen is not a key part of our portfolio.”

Stop Using Your Business Like a Personal ATM—Here’s Why It’s Killing Your Startup | The Startup Magazine

March 11, 2025March 10, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Launching a startup is exhilarating. The freedom, the hustle, the endless possibilities. But let’s talk about a silent killer lurking in the shadows of many young businesses: treating your company like a personal piggy bank.

Entrepreneurs, listen up. If you keep dipping into your business funds whenever you need to cover rent, book that spontaneous getaway, or upgrade your lifestyle before your company can handle it, you’re strangling your own success.

Let’s break down why this cash management habit is so destructive—and how you can stop before it’s too late.

How Do Advertising Inflatables Compare to Traditional Marketing Methods? A Clear Evaluation | The Startup Magazine

March 11, 2025March 10, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

In the world of marketing, businesses are always on the lookout for new ways to capture attention, and inflatable advertising has emerged as a lively contender against traditional methods. Giant advertising inflatables by Floatie Kings offer a unique and immediate impact, making them stand out in crowded spaces. Unlike static billboards or print ads, inflatables can create a memorable impression at events or high-traffic areas.

Traditional marketing often relies on repetitive exposure to make an impact. On the other hand, custom advertising inflatables can grab attention instantly with their eye-catching designs and sizes. Whether at a festival or a storefront, inflatables engage passersby and offer businesses a creative platform to showcase their brands.

As businesses increasingly seek cost-effective and impactful strategies, advertising inflatables provide an innovative solution. Their reusability at multiple events can offer value over time compared to some traditional methods. This shift in preference highlights the evolving marketing landscape, where standing out requires more than just traditional advertising plays.

Trump does not rule out recession as trade war escalates | BBC News

March 10, 2025March 9, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

US President Donald Trump has refused to say whether the US economy is facing a recession or price rises in the wake of his administration’s flip-flopping on tariff threats against some of its closest trading partners.

Asked if he was expecting a recession this year, Trump said there was a “period of transition” taking place.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, however, insisted there would be no contraction in the world’s largest economy, while acknowledging that the price of some goods may rise.

It comes after a volatile week for US financial markets as investors grappled with uncertainty from his administration’s U-turn on some key parts of its aggressive trade policies.

Mark Carney: Canada’s next PM vows to win trade war with Trump

March 10, 2025March 9, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Mark Carney has won the race to succeed Justin Trudeau as Canada’s next prime minister, vowing to win the trade war against US President Donald Trump.

The former governor of Canada and the UK’s central banks beat three rivals in the Liberal leadership contest in a landslide.

In much of his victory speech, Carney, 59, attacked Trump, who has imposed tariffs on Canada and said he wants to make the country the 51st US state. “Americans should make no mistake,” he said. “In trade, as in hockey, Canada will win.”

Carney is expected to be sworn in as PM in the coming days and will lead the Liberals in the next general election, which is expected to be called in the coming weeks.